ACLU of Oklahoma Calls for Criminal investigation & Resignation of Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz
OKLAHOMA CITY – In the wake of reports that supervisors were coerced to falsify training records of Bob Bates, the Tulsa County “pay to play cop” who shot Eric Harris in the back and is now charged with manslaughter in his death, the ACLU of Oklahoma has issued the following statements calling for an independent criminal investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Glanz, and demanding Sheriff Glanz’s immediate resignation as Tulsa County Sheriff.
The following is attributable to Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director:
We have absolutely zero confidence that Sheriff Glanz has the capacity or willingness to restore trust between his office and the people the Sheriff is elected to serve. From a buy a badge program that placed a wealthy friend and donor on a violent crimes task force, leading to the brutal and senseless death of Eric Harris, to fostering a culture among his deputies that led to the barbaric and dehumanizing treatment of Mr. Harris as he lay dying on the pavement, to recent allegations that Sheriff Glanz conspired to falsify training records of wealthy reserve officers, enough is enough. Any one of these instances on its own raises grave doubts about the Sheriff’s ability to head one of the largest law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma, but taken together, they represent an intolerable and dangerous lack of leadership. That is why the ACLU of Oklahoma is calling for an independent criminal investigation into these allegations and demands the immediate resignation of Sheriff Glanz.
The following is attributable to Brady Henderson, ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director:
These latest reports of the Tulsa County Sheriff attempting to falsify training records, in conjunction with the disturbing revelations already reported in this growing “buy a badge” scandal, point to a clear pattern of corruption in which Sheriff Glanz appears to have placed the patronage of his personal friend and crony ahead of the integrity of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and the safety of the citizens it is supposed to serve. Such actions are inexcusable, dangerous, and illegal. As a result, Eric Harris is dead, and Oklahomans’ ability to trust its law enforcement officials is severely wounded.
We are calling for an immediate independent criminal investigation of Sheriff Glanz to determine whether his actions warrant felony charges such as recording false public records, accepting bribes, or manslaughter. Regardless of what criminal charges may face Sheriff Glanz following an independent investigation, it is time for him to resign as Sheriff of Tulsa County. The culture of corruption that he created has disgraced his office, betrayed the public trust, and resulted in the senseless and illegal killing of an unarmed man.
